The Foundation series is Isaac Asimov’s iconic masterpiece. Unfolding against the backdrop of a crumbling Galactic Empire, the story of Hari Seldon’s two Foundations is a lasting testament to an extraordinary imagination, one whose unprecedented scale shaped science fiction as we know it today.

The First Foundation survived two centuries of barbarism as the once-mighty Galactic Empire descended into chaos. Now it mist prepare for war against the remnants of the Empire as the Imperial fleet advances on their planet, Terminus.

Hari Seldon predicted this war; he even prepared his Foundation for it. But he couldn’t foresee the birth of the mutant Mule. In possession of a power which reduces fearsome opposition to devoted slaves, the Mule poses a terrible threat to Seldon’s Foundation.

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‘One of the most staggering achievements in modern SF’The Times

‘Isaac Asimov was one of the great explainers of the age…It will never be known how many practicing scientists today, in how many countries, owe their initial inspiration to a book, article, or short story by Isaac Asimov’Carl Sagan

‘Asimov displayed one of the most dynamic imaginations in science fiction’Daily Telegraph

‘Asimov’s career was one of the most formidable in science fiction’The Times

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WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST ALL-TIME SERIES

The Foundation series is Isaac Asimov’s iconic masterpiece. Unfolding against the backdrop of a crumbling Galactic Empire, the story of Hari Seldon’s two Foundations is a lasting testament to an extraordinary imagination, one whose unprecedented scale shaped science fiction as we know it today.

The First Foundation survived two centuries of barbarism as the once-mighty Galactic Empire descended into chaos. Now it mist prepare for war against the remnants of the Empire as the Imperial fleet advances on their planet, Terminus.

Hari Seldon predicted this war; he even prepared his Foundation for it. But he couldn’t foresee the birth of the mutant Mule. In possession of a power which reduces fearsome opposition to devoted slaves, the Mule poses a terrible threat to Seldon’s Foundation.

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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Ritesh Laud

5.0 out of 5 starsThe continuation of an epic series

20 January 2002 - Published on Amazon.com

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Foundation and Empire is the second of the original Foundation trilogy written in the 1950s. The first book is Foundation and the last is Second Foundation. I enjoyed Foundation but I liked F&E quite a bit more! Foundation consists of five disconnected short stories, too short for adequate development of the settings or characters. F&E is much more focused, containing only two stories, the second of which really impressed me.A quick refresher on the background: The psychohistorian Hari Seldon was able to mathematically foresee the future of human society in the Milky Way. It wasn't pretty. Socio-economic forces were to cause the total collapse of the Trantorian Empire and lead to 30,000 years of anarchy and barbarism before a new empire restored peace and order. However, Seldon saw an "alternate path" that could reduce the duration of the Dark Ages to a single millennium. He established two societies (called Foundations) to bring this change about.In Foundation, we learn how the fledgling First Foundation established itself after Seldon's death and how it grew powerful. In F&E, Seldon is long dead and the First Foundation faces much more serious threats: a war with the dying but still powerful Trantorian Empire and a war with a mutant leader called The Mule who possesses incredible powers. The part about the war with the Empire is a straightforward narrative with a couple interesting twists. The second part about The Mule takes place a few decades later and is written in the style of a mystery, sort of like the first two Robot novels.Since The Mule is an individual of extraordinary power, Seldon's psychohistorical predictions for the First Foundation are in jeopardy because they deal only with masses of people and large scale socio-economic forces. Hence the second part is a more exciting read. :-) Also, until the end of the second part the Second Foundation is a mysterious society on the other side of the Galaxy about whom we know next to nothing. Although I guessed the nature of The Mule's powers, I did not guess his identity and it was a great surprise for me when it was revealed at the end. The events of the last two chapters are stunning and really make you want to rip into the third book. Yet F&E doesn't end on a cliffhanger and is quite satisfying in and of itself. This unique blend is a testament to Asimov's genius as an author. Also, you'll learn why the mutant calls himself The Mule and it's quite enlightening!With novels written later, Asimov tied together three series into one huge one! I recommend reading the entire 14-book series in the following order: the four Robot novels, the three Empire novels, and the seven Foundation novels (the original trilogy plus two prequels and two sequels). So far I've yet to read the last three Foundation books (Second Foundation, Foundation's Edge, Foundation and Earth), but so far most have been excellent and all have been well above average.

The second book in the Foundation series continues the narrative of the first; it chronicles the defeat of the decaying Galactic Empire by the Foundation, and its subsequent defeat by the mutant intelligence that is the Mule. Asimov's books are an almost perfect blend of suspense, action, dialogue, character-building, world-building, narrative, and plot. He knows how to keep the pages turning. Even the less interesting half of the book (the first-half) is still enjoyable - it's just that the second part is so much more interesting; the twist at the end is especially something to be savored. Like all his books, the joy comes from not just the narrative itself, but the situations that Asimov places his characters in, and how they ingeniously improvise solutions to their dilemmas. The Foundation series is, irrefutably, classic science fiction, and it makes one wonder why Hollywood hasn't taken these literary gems and processed them into something less fine and lacking luster. One minor grievance; some phrases seem to reappear in multiple books of the series. Asimov seems particularly fond of the adjective "sardonically" - but this can scarcely be deemed a flaw, just something that one might notice.

I decided to go through and re-read all of my childhood favorites. I am thoroughly enjoying the series, but it does seem it isn't quite as engaging to me now as it was when I was a young man. Regardless it is fun and interesting.

If you've read any Asimov books before, you'll appreciate the depth and breadth of his imagination, if not then you're in for a treat!

The Foundatuion series, of which this is the first novel, is set in the distant future. Man has colonised most of the galaxy and it is headed by an Emporer and administered by a huge beauracracy. However, one man is able to see the coming fall of the empire and the dark age to follow. He plans to set up a repository of knowledge from which a new civilisation can rise.

What we have here is a spin on the fall of the Roman empire on a galactic scale. Asimovs strength is his ability to speculate about future social structures and mores. His weakness is in character development. So what you get is classic space opera, but with a 1950s undertone to it.

This is an enjoyable, light read and will doubtless lead you onto the rest of the series.

I read this book when I was 16, and loved it then. Now I've just read it again, 30 years later. It's still a terrific read. Showing the struggle from the perspective of the Empire in the first half of the book was fascinating. Asimov deftly portrayed the huge, ponderous, decaying entity of the Empire brilliantly. He also showed that if somehow it was motivated to do so, it's enormous resources could still be channeled to destroy the Foundation - but only if the effort could be sustained long enough.

The second half with the Mule was great. Reading this part the second time wasn't quite as fun, as I knew the shocking revelations at the end already. However, the Mule character was an unforgettable device, and was great.

If you have even the slightest interest in Sci-Fi, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to you.